SIBELIUS ACADEMYADMISSIONS 2018

APPLICATION PERIOD

9–24 JAN

2018MORE INFO ON PAGE 28

RANKED10TH

IN THEWORLDTOPUNIVERSITIES.COM/SUBJECT-RANKINGS/2017

IS IT YOU? –Would you like to become a member of a community where great musicians are born? Are you eager to find kindred spirits and evolve into a musician with a distinct creative identity?

If you answered yes, then your choice is the Sibelius Academy in Finland, where many international music stars – such as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Kaija Saariaho, Osmo Vänskä and Susanna Mälkki – began their careers. At the academy, you will enhance your artistic skills and academic knowledge, and learn to apply your expertise in professional life.

Ranked as the world’s tenth best performing arts school, the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki (Uniarts Helsinki) is one of the biggest music academies in Europe. We are a creative community of 1,400 students and over 1,000 staff.

The academy offers nine degree programmes at Bachelor and Master level, each with several major subjects. The programmes are:

» Classical Music Performance (Major Instrument or Voice; see full list on pages 23–24)

» Composition and Music Theory

» Conducting

» Folk Music

» Global Music

» Jazz

» Music Technology

» Church Music (Bachelor only available in Finnish and Swedish)

» Music Education (only available in Finnish and Swedish)

In these programmes, admittance to the school at Bachelor level incorporates automatic progression to Master level without having to go through a separate admissions process.

In addition, there are four separate Master’s degree programmes:

» Arts Management

» Nordic Master in Folk Music

» Nordic Master in Jazz

» Nordic Master of Global Music

The latter three are joint programmes with other top Nordic music academies.

Doctoral education at the Sibelius Academy is internationally recognised and has some unique characteristics. Doctoral study is based on interaction between art, research and pedagogy. Students can choose between the Arts, Research and Applied Study programmes according to their background and interests. More information on page 25.

6 7IS IT YOU?IS IT YOU?

The Sibelius Academy is an inspiring study environment with an internationally diverse mix of students and teachers.

DID YOU KNOW THAT...As an international university student in Finland, you will enjoy a wide variety of benefits. Here are a few examples: YOU PAY NO, OR ONLY MODERATE, TUITION FEES EU/EEA students do not pay tuition fees. Due to a change instigated by the Finnish government, from August 2017 non-EU/EEA degree students (Bachelor and Master) are required to pay an annual tuition fee of €5,000. Uniarts Helsinki has introduced a scholarship programme for non-EU/EEA students to help cover the tuition fee. For more information on tuition fees and eligibility for scholarships, please visit uniarts.fi/en/apply-to-study.

Applicants should note that they must be able to cover their living expenses. It is recommended to budget around €700–900 per month, as the general cost of living in Finland is relatively high. The Student Union membership fee (€113 for the 2017–2018 academic year) is mandatory, but it covers all student healthcare services. STUDENT HEALTHCARE SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE TO YOU All students studying for a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree at a Finnish university are entitled to use the Finnish Student Healthcare Service, which offers general healthcare as well as dental care and mental health services. Please note that all non-EU/EEA students are required to obtain health insurance from their home countries in order to be eligible to receive a residence permit for studying in Finland. The individual costs will vary. To obtain a residence permit, you must be able to prove your means of support.

READ MORE: TAIYO.FI/IN-ENGLISH (UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS STUDENT UNION), STUDYINFINLAND.FI

1110 FACTSFACTS

WE HAVE BRAND-NEW FACILITIES

The Sibelius Academy is one of the three operating organisations of the Helsinki Music Centre, an inspiring concert venue and meeting place opened in 2011 and located in the heart of Helsinki. The centre is also home to the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, with which the academy has educational cooperation. Academy students can attend the rehearsals and concerts of both orchestras at the centre’s concert hall. Students and staff also enjoy free entrance to Uniarts Helsinki’s performances on university premises.

The centre houses the Sibelius Academy Music Library, an extensive and well-equipped research library for all music enthusiasts that is ideal for listening to records, viewing videos and borrowing sheet music.

In addition to the Helsinki Music Centre, the academy has two other buildings in Helsinki city centre with high quality facilities – including a newly renovated building opened in 2014.

YOU CAN BENEFIT FROM EXTENSIVE STUDENT DISCOUNTS

As a student, you will receive a 30–50% discount on public transport, including national rail, bus and coach services. You will also enjoy reduced entrance fees at many cultural venues, such as museums, theatres and the Finnish National Opera.

YOU CAN ENJOY AFFORDABLE, HEALTHY LUNCHES

A hot lunch is served at many student cafeterias located across Helsinki (some options here: www.unicafe.fi/en). Student meals cost around €2.60.

One of the academy’s three buildings in Helsinki city centre was fully renovated to meet the needs of the academy. The light and spacious building houses state-of-the-art teaching facilities and practice rooms.

13FACTS12 FACTS

The flagship of the academy, The Sibelius Academy Symphony Orchestra, has been active since 1916. They perform regularly at the Helsinki Music Centre Concert Hall.

BUILD YOUR STUDIES TO FIT YOUR GOALSSUSAN TOGRA, ARTS MANAGEMENT STUDENT, ECUADOR

To Susan, it’s been a new and refreshing experience having teachers who guide their students instead of telling them what to do.

“My time here has been everything I thought it would be and more. I didn’t really choose Finland; I chose the Sibelius Academy. I wanted to study arts management in a school with an amazing reputation that included internships and professional projects inside the programme – and it all had to be taught in English. I couldn’t find that anywhere else in Europe.

The curriculum is just so well designed. You can literally build your own degree to best benefit your professional goals. You can even take courses from other universities. We have a ton of great international teachers that very much encourage us to think for ourselves, and we learn a lot through discussions and reflection.

I think Finland is the perfect place to study. It’s very safe and the Finnish education system is renowned for a reason. Just be open-minded – it’s a great experience!”

“

1716 STUDENT VIEWSSTUDENT VIEWS

THE SIBELIUS ACADEMY IN BRIEFLocated in the Finnish capital, the Sibelius Academy of the Uniarts Helsinki is the only university-level music institution in the country.

The academy, a cornerstone of Finnish music, was established in 1882 and bears the distinguished name of the great Finnish master composer Jean Sibelius. Since its founding, this cradle of classical music education has added other genres to its palette: jazz and folk music have been taught since the early 1980s and music technology since the early 1990s.

The academy trains artists, teachers and other music professionals, all skilled in independent artistic work. The driving force for everyone at the academy is the unquestionable love they have for music and their work. The Sibelius Academy ranks among the ten best performing arts schools in the world in the QS World University Ranking (2016, 2017).

The Sibelius Academy consists of two faculties: The Faculty of Classical Music and the Faculty of Music Education, Jazz, Folk and Global Music, Music Technology and Arts Management. Additionally, the academy has a youth department (Junior Academy), a department for adult education and training, and two doctoral schools.

At the academy, you can complete the following degrees: Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, Licentiate of Music, and Doctor of Music.

The academy holds hundreds of public concerts every year. They form the majority of the concert selection in the Helsinki Metropolitan Region, but also include international projects. For example, in 2017 the Sibelius Academy joined forces with the Juilliard School to form a joint symphony orchestra for an extensive tour of Scandinavia and the US. The orchestra was led by the academy alumnus Esa-Pekka Salonen.

With active international networks, the academy is an international and multilingual study environment. Networking involves joint art projects and educational development, as well as student and teacher exchanges. Nearly 100 international students arrive at the Sibelius Academy on exchange every year. According to a study done by the Finnish National Agency for Education, the exchange students at the academy are the most satisfied with the quality of education out of all the exchange students who have studied in Finland.

The school year runs from September to April. First-year students, however, begin their studies in mid-August.

At the beginning of 2013, the Sibelius Academy merged with the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts and the Theatre Academy to form the University of the Arts Helsinki (Uniarts Helsinki). The university offers education in fine arts, music, theatre and dance. It is considered to be one of the most attractive places to study in Finland. In 2016, the total number of students was 2,100.

18 19THE SIBELIUS ACADEMYTHE SIBELIUS ACADEMY

EXTRAORDINARY FACILITIES AND A TALENTED COMMUNITYHUGH SHEEHAN, MUSIC TECHNOLOGY STUDENT, UK

At the Sibelius Academy, Hugh has met, collaborated and played with musicians from all over the world.

“The creative opportunities offered at the school are fantastic – I’ve performed at or worked on professional level projects as part of festivals, concerts and various other events in Helsinki and around Finland during my time here. The academy also offers extraordinary facilities and I feel fully prepared to work in professional performance and studio environments when I graduate. That’s invaluable!

I think what strikes me most about the Sibelius Academy is the people. As an artist whose work almost always involves some degree of collaboration, there is no shortage of people who are willing to contribute their time, effort and musical or technical prowess to artistic projects – and to top it off, everyone is so ludicrously talented. I’ve learned so much from the people here.

Studying here really has been ideal for me – the Sibelius Academy is a wonderful place to grow as a musician, artist and human being.”

“

20 21STUDENT VIEWSSTUDENT VIEWS

PROGRAMMES OF STUDY LEADING TO A BACHELOR’S AND SUBSEQUENT MASTER’S DEGREE330 ECTS: 3 YEARS + 2.5 YEARS

Programmes available in 2018:

» Classical Music Performance: Major Instrument or Voice Accordion, Clavichord, Early Music, Guitar, Harp, Kantele, Organ, Percussion, Piano, Strings, Voice, Wind Instruments

» Composition and Music Theory

» Conducting Choral Conducting, Orchestral Conducting, Wind Orchestra Conducting, with an option of Military Orchestra Conducting available only in Finnish and Swedish » Folk Music

» Global Music

» Jazz Instrumental and Vocal Studies, Jazz Composition

» Church Music (only available in Finnish and Swedish)

» Music Education (only available in Finnish and Swedish)

APPLICANTS MUST DEMONSTRATE THEIR ENGLISH-LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY IN THE APPLICATION STAGE. READ MORE: UNIARTS.FI/EN/APPLY-TO-SIBELIUS-ACADEMY.

22 23PROGRAMMES IN 2018PROGRAMMES IN 2018

DOCTORAL PROGRAMMESDOCTOR OF MUSIC 240 ECTS LICENTIATE OF MUSIC 150 ECTS

Programmes available in 2018:

» Arts Study Programme

» Research Study Programme

» Applied Study Programme

IN ORDER TO STUDY THE BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN CHURCH MUSIC PROGRAMME (3 YEARS) OR BACHELOR’S AND MASTER’S DEGREE IN MUSIC EDUCATION PROGRAMME (3 YEARS + 2.5 YEARS), STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO BE SUFFICIENTLY FLUENT IN FINNISH OR SWEDISH. LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS ARE ASSESSED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE ENTRANCE EXAMINATION.

Sibelius Academy has two doctoral schools – DocMus Doctoral School (Classical Music, including Church Music, Composition, Opera and Theory) and MuTri Doctoral School (Arts Management, Folk Music, Jazz, Music Education, Music Technology). The school that a student applies to and attends will be determined by the instrument/research topic the student chooses to focus on.

» Jazz Instrumental and Vocal Studies, Jazz Composition

» Nordic Master in Jazz (NOMAZZ)

» Nordic Master of Global Music (GLOMAS)

» Music Education (only available in Finnish and Swedish)

PROGRAMMES OF STUDY LEADING TO A MASTER’S DEGREE150 ECTS: 2.5 YEARS

Programmes available in 2018:

» Church Music

» Classical Music Performance: Major Instrument or Voice Accordion, Clavichord, Early Music, Fortepiano, Guitar, Harp, Kantele, Opera Coaching and Collaborative Piano, Organ, Percussion, Piano, Piano Chamber Music and Lied, Strings, Vocal Arts, Wind Instruments

» Composition and Music Theory

» Conducting Choral Conducting, Orchestral Conducting, Wind Orchestra Conducting, with an option of Military Orchestra Conducting available only in Finnish and Swedish » Folk Music

24 PROGRAMMES IN 2018 25PROGRAMMES IN 2018

During their Master’s programme, opera students participate in four full-scale opera productions with orchestras as well as in small-scale operas or individual scenes. New students are admitted every two years, with the next admissions being in 2019.

HOW TO APPLYTHE NEXT APPLICATION PERIOD FOR BACHELOR’S AND MASTER’S PROGRAMMES IS 9–24 JANUARY 2018.

VIDEO APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED TO CERTAIN 2.5-YEAR MASTER PROGRAMMES.

DETAILED APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS CAN BE FOUND ON THE UNIVERSITY WEBSITE: UNIARTS.FI/EN/APPLY-TO-SIBELIUS-ACADEMY.

APPLICATIONS

Online applications must be completed at studyinfo.fi. The online application form must be submitted no later than 3 pm Finnish time (UTC+02:00) on 24 January 2018. All Sibelius Academy degree programmes can be found under University of the Arts Helsinki in the application system.

Pre-screening materials and certificates must reach the Sibelius Academy Admissions Office no later than 3 pm Finnish time (UTC+02:00) on 24 January 2018:

SIBELIUS ACADEMY ADMISSIONS OFFICEPO BOX 32FI-00097 UNIARTSFINLAND

ENTRANCE EXAMINATIONS

Entrance examinations are mainly held during April and May. The preliminary timetable will be published on our website. Precise examination times will be announced in the individual invitations.

ALL QUESTIONS REGARDING ADMISSIONS CAN BE SENT TO: SIBA.ADMISSIONS@UNIARTS.FI.

HOW TO APPLY TO DOCTORAL PROGRAMMES

The next application period for Doctoral programmes ends in February 2018. DETAILED INFORMATION AND APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS CAN BE FOUND AT UNIARTS.FI/EN/APPLY-TO-DOCTORAL-STUDIES.

THE NEXT APPLICATION PERIOD IS 9–24 JANUARY 2018.READ MORE: UNIARTS.FI/EN/APPLY-TO-SIBELIUS-ACADEMY

28 29HOW TO APPLYHOW TO APPLY

STRONG STUDENT-TEACHER RELATIONSHIPSYLVA GRUEN, OPERA STUDENT, SWEDEN

Mezzo-soprano Ylva describes her opera class as supportive, focused and fun.

“I applied to the Sibelius Academy, because I’d heard great things about it from my friends who were already studying here. I was surprised it wasn’t as conservative as I had thought it would be, but you do have to be prepared to work hard and take responsibility for your own studies. I think it’s great and I like the high tempo!

For a big school like this, you still have very strong student-teacher relationships, with everyone determined to make studying here a genuinely great experience for you. The teachers and students work closely together and it tends to get even more intense during production weeks – it almost feels like you’re living with your classmates.

Singing in our ensemble and opera productions gives the experience of being in real professional opera productions – we get great tools for professional life here!”

“

30 31STUDENT VIEWSSTUDENT VIEWS

WHAT IS IT LIKE TO STUDY HERE? –As a student at the Sibelius Academy, you have the freedom to dictate your own schedule. You build an individual study plan, which is a tool to help you plan and focus your studies. In the study plan, you write down the courses you want to include in your degree along with a schedule for each semester. Staff tutors and other advisers will help you draw up a balanced study plan.

The compulsory requirements for a degree at the Sibelius Academy are defined by the degree curriculum, but all students can choose from various options according to their interests and existing skills.

In several major subjects, individual instruction is the core of the programme. Approximately half of the schedule of a classical music student consists of group instruction (for example, music history, music theory and performance coaching); the rest is allocated for independent practice and individual classes in the student’s major instrument.

Some subjects vary from this model. For example, jazz and folk music are dominated by ensemble playing and related rehearsals.

Six well-equipped studios are available for all Sibelius Academy students at the Helsinki Music Centre.

32 33WHAT IS IT LIKE TO STUDY HERE?WHAT IS IT LIKE TO STUDY HERE?

Most of the major subjects include solo performances on the student’s major instrument. These performances are assessed by a jury and can be completed as part of a chamber music group or ensemble.

At a later stage in their studies, students must undertake a more extensive performance evaluation, which can include a written component.

Practical training is a core part of study. For example, Music Education students complete a teacher-training module and Church Music students go on parish placements. For students of orchestral instruments, conducting and composition, the academy offers many training opportunities – including educational cooperation with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. In other majors, students can complete placement modules of their choice.

Students can also attend courses arranged in degree programmes outside the one in which they are enrolled, both at the Sibelius Academy and at the Uniarts Helsinki. Moreover, all students have the opportunity to collaborate in multidisciplinary productions.

Artistic activity is the core of learning at the Sibelius Academy. Students are offered a wide range of opportunities to gain experience in performing.

Want to find out more about living and studying in Helsinki, Finland?Visit MyHelsinki.fiVisitFinland.comVisitFinland.com/HelsinkiStudyinFinland.fi#myhelsinki #visithelsinki #visitfinland

35WHAT IS IT LIKE TO STUDY HERE?WHAT IS IT LIKE TO STUDY HERE?34

CHOOSE FROM A GREAT VARIETY OF COURSESXIANG GUO, TRUMPET STUDENT, CHINA

Xiang says the Sibelius Academy opened his musical mind in a completely new way.

“The Sibelius Academy has a host of experienced teachers and a great variety of courses to choose from to make your own individual study plan. The general atmosphere is unique – everyone here is so committed to what they are doing, but at the same time the students are very friendly and the teachers are always willing to help you out. You can learn a lot from everyone working here!

The various events held at the academy make studying here an active and thrilling experience. The academy is getting more and more international and you can feel the inclusivity – I’ve made some great friends here.

Living and studying in Finland is really comfortable. My life is more relaxed and less stressful than in China, and I really enjoy that. Studying at the Sibelius Academy is an unforgettable experience for any music student!”

“

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